The paper reports an account of the plants of Orissa that are useful for the extraction of homoeopathic drugs. A total of 107 species have been enlisted through literature survey as homoeopathic medicinal plants with their correct nomenclature and local names. These species belong to 97 genera under 48 families. Each species is provided with its place of availability, natural or exotic, chemical property and other information that are useful for homoeopathic pharmaceutical industry.

A survey was carried out during 1994-2000 in forest areas and plains of Andhra Pradesh for information on wild edible plants and personal interviews were conducted with various tribals and local villagers. A total of 419 wild species belonging to 100 families are used for edible purpose, of which 157 species are fruits, 160 species leaves, 38 spp. tender shoots and shoot tips, 37 spp. stem and root tubers, 27 spp. seeds and grains, 8 whole plant, 15 flowers and flower buds, 1 radicle, seedlings, 2 gums, 3 tender buds, 2 bulbils. These plants are used in normal period or in times of scarcity

A survey conducted to elucidate the different plant species (32 numbers) pertains to their insect repellent activities from the folklore and literature of Orissa state based on medicinal, ecological and tantric philosophy. The paper highlights on the use of root, stem bark, leaf, flower, raw juice, fumigant and contact keeping of plants/plant parts in various agricultural, medicinal, veterinary and household uses, as insect repellent species.

Ethnobotanical survey covering Kalimpong hill subdivision (altitude to 3660 m) in the eastern Himalayan region of India was carried out by the present author during 2004-2006, following standard methods. The herbarium specimens were identified at CAL. Twelve species of flowering plants, widely used in the folk-medicine of this region, are highlighted in this paper. They have a broad spectrum of medicinal uses. New or less known healing applications of these plants were recorded. Such plants are mostly utilized by the Bhutias, Lepchas and Nepalis, the major ethnic communities of Kalimpong hills, bonded together by Nepali language. For each species, family, local names, life-form, altitude range and distribution, flowering and fruiting months, detailed uses, threat status of IUCN and annotations etc are given. Owing to over-exploitation, a number of medicinal and/or economically lucrative species are already under different categories of threat. Rauvolfia serpentina (L.) Benth. ex Kurz, has almost disappeared from this area as a result of ruthless exploitation during last twenty years. Abutilon indicum (L.) Sweet ssp. indicum, a potent diuretic plant, is now ―extinct‖ in the wild in Kalimpong and adjoining Darjeeling hills, albeit it was abundant there about two decades ago. Several other medicinally important species heavily exploited in the past are: Aconitum bisma (Buch.-Ham.) Rap., Arisaema consanguinatum Schott, Hedychium spicatum Sm., Panax pseudoginseng Wall., Piper longum L., Stephania glabra (Roxb.) Miers etc and consequently they are now threatened. Biopiracy of such important medicinal plants often takes place from this region which must be strictly prohibited. In general, the underground plant parts e.g. root/stem tuber, rhizome, root etc have remarkably high medicinal value. Such plants of Zingiberaceae, Costaceae, Araceae, Araliaceae, Menispermaceae, Ranunculaceae and many other families provide the real medical support in everyday life in the mountainous remote villages where the qualified doctor to people ratio is 1:4892. Its fascinating to see that when the era of ―telemedicine‖ is coming up and probably arrived at the most modern doors, the people living in far-flung Himalayan villages are still healed at nature‘s own dispensary. The information given in this paper will be useful for backing conservation strategies, and facilitate better understanding of phytotherapy research.